Mute-- Kakuzu Love Story
by HidanLoverForever
Summary: When Hidan's sister joins the Akatsuki, how will they all react, especially when she takes a liking to Kakuzu?


_***Airi's POV***_

I clung to my brother, tears pouring from my eyes, and I shook my head violently. He couldn't leave me here! Not with papa!

He sighed, shaking his head as he crouched in front on me. "Airi, for the last time, _I have to leave. _I'm sorry, but it's for the best." He gave me a quick hug, and was gone.

I started running towards the closed door, intent on following him, but papa's rough hand grabbed ahold of my hair and threw me on the ground. "Let the bastard go, he's nothing! Forget about him, Airi!"

_***Present time***_

I panted as my running finally came to a stop. I'd been running for Jashin only knows how long, sweat was running down my face, my silver hair falling out of its ponytail. I was exhausted, and as soon as I stopped running, my body collapsed on the ground. I groaned in my head, laying there for a few minutes. I knew I'd have to get running again; my village's ninja were hot on my trail.

A voice drew me out of my thoughts, and made me bolt upright, a kunai in my hand; "C'mon Kakuzu, we've been walking for hours for this damn bounty of yours! Just let us stop and rest, dammit!"

I froze. That voice…so…familiar… I jumped to my feet, running in the direction of it, and found them almost instantly; A man with a mask and hood up, his eyes the only thing visible, but they were amazing; a bright, almost glowing green.

I mentally slapped myself, and turned my attention to the man I haven't seen in twelve years. Without thinking, I jumped from the bush I had hid in, in front of the man, and engulfed him in a hug.

"What the fuck!?" He yelled, pushing me away. _Silly, he must not recognize me_. I glared at him, slapping him upside the head. That must have gotten it out of him, because when he opened his mouth to yell at me, he froze dead in his tracts. "A-Airi?" I gave him a smile, and he grabbed my shoulders, stared at me without talking, and brought me into a tight hug. "I-I can't believe it's you…" he whispered, and I heard tears in his voice.

The man next to us cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable. "Not to ruin the moment, but Hidan, who is this girl?"

Hidan tore away from me, and glared at the other man. "Kakuzu, this is my sister Airi."

I smiled at Kakuzu, and he looked at Hidan, than me, than back at Hidan. "Dear god, not another Hidan…" He said, pinching the bridge of his nose, and I frowned.

Hidan's glare intensified. "Hey, what the fuck do you mean by that!?"

Kakuzu sighed, and just shook his head. "Bring her along, I guess. You probably would have anyway."

While we were walking (More walking .) Hidan asked me, "Hey Airi, why are you out here alone, anyway? Where is father?"

I just shook my head, frowning. He seemed to get the idea, because he didn't press on. Nobody talked, other than every ten minutes when Hidan would whine, and soon we got to…a rock.

Hidan must have seen my confused expression, because he smirked and did some hand movements, and soon the rock had moved, and he was dragging me in as I struggled with keeping up, being as exhausted as I was. He dragged me to a door, and when he knocked I jumped at the sorta ominous voice on the other side.

"Come in." We entered, and he looked at me, frowning. "Hidan, why did you bring someone here?" He asked simply.

"She's my sister, Leader, and was out on her own. I wanted to keep her here, with us." Hidan said, glancing at me. I gave him a small smile. I wasn't as mad at him as I always thought I'd be; I mean, he never knew about father, and he left because he was told to leave or have father and I killed, so he didn't really lie about leaving for us (father had told me this story _waaaay _too many times.)

The man gave a curt nod, turning to me. "I am Pein, though you may call me Leader-sama. You are to at least _try _getting along with the others, and not make too much trouble. Understand?" I nodded. "Good. You'll share a room with Konan. You may leave. Hidan, introduce her to the others."

Hidan nodded, dragging me away. He was really bad about doing that. "_Hey bitches, get in the fucking lounge!" _He yelled, making me cover my ears. Loudmouth, as always.

After a few turns, in which I think I've memorized, we came upon a room with a few couches, chairs, and a TV, so I guess it's the lounge. There were people already there, looking at us interestingly.

"Hidan, who's the girl, un?" A blonde girl—I MEAN GUY said. _He needs a haircut.._

Hidan beamed. "This," He pushed me forward a little. "Is my baby sister, Airi."

I glared at him. _Baby sister? Fucking __**baby **__sister?! Fuck you Hidan._

A few of them, the blonde, a masked lollipop-looking guy, a fish-shark-thing, and a plant guy, looked at me with interested expressions.

A redhead groaned lightly, shaking his head. "She looks exactly like you…Not another Hidan…"

"Another damn loudmouth." The plant guy said, but for some reason only the black side's mouth moved. He shook his head.

Hidan grimaced, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Ehh, not exactly."

"What do you mean by 'not exactly', un?" The blonde asked.

Hidan sighed, giving me a slightly sad expression, before turning to the others. "My twin…Airi… is mute."

The members looked at me with wide eyes, and shocked expressions (Well, except for the raven-haired man). I looked at the floor, blushing slightly. I hate attention—I try getting the least amount of attention as possible.

"Mute?" The blonde repeated.

"Yes, dammit, she's fucking mute! Got a problem, Barbie!?" Hidan demanded, and I could hear the anger in his voice. He always was one to defend me, and used to get so pissed when people would pick on me for it.

"So does she just not talk?" The redhead replied.

Hidan sighed. "You think I know, dumbass!? She just never had. Why the hell do you want to know?"

He rolled his eyes, turning back to the puppet in his lap. They dropped the subject, and just introduced themselves, explaining that 'Konan' had been a bit busy, and that I'd just see her in the room. I decided it was time for me to go to my room, so I gave a small wave to the group before disappearing down the hall. I passed by many rooms, before finding one with 'Konan [", Written on it. I sighed and opened the door, seeing two beds, a girl with blue hair sitting on one, working on a paper crane. I smiled, I love origami.

The woman looked up and smiled at me. "Hey, I'm Konan."

I smiled and gave her a wave. She frowned, tilting her head to the side slightly. "What's wrong, you aren't talking."

I frowned again, going into my pocket and pulling out a notepad and pen I keep around with me, writing 'Sorry, I'm mute. And Hi, I'm Airi.'

She read it, and then nodded. "Oh okay, I'm sorry." I shrugged. I pointed to her crane, smiling. She looked down, and beamed in delight. "You like it?" I nodded. "Awe, thanks!"

I smiled again, and then yawned. I've been running all day, and was exhausted. I pointed to the bed she wasn't on, and she nodded. "You're going to bed?" I nodded, and she gave me another smile. "Okay, night~"

I gave her a tiny smile, then crawled into the bed, and within minutes, had fallen into a dreamless sleep.

I awoke slowly, in a daze. I was surprised to feel myself on a bed, rather than the hard floor, but memories of the previous day flooded in, and I found myself smiling. I looked over, and Konan wasn't in the room anymore. I shrugged, getting up and leaving the room, quickly finding the kitchen after hearing shouts. Konan looked annoyed and frantic as she tried saving pancakes that were already charred black, Pein and Hidan were yelling, Kakuzu was over at the table counting some money, quietly grumbling about the costs of the ingredients, which I kind of agreed with. Kisame sighed as he made a few hand movements, and water had poured onto the pancakes that lit on fire, putting them out.

I shook my head, going in the fridge and grabbing eggs and some spices, along with a bowl and pan. Within minutes, while the others were arguing, I had eggs for Kakuzu, Hidan, and I. I transferred them onto three plates. I walked over to Hidan and dragged him by his ear to the table, making him sit, ignoring his curses and complaints.

"What the fuck, Airi!?" I set the plate in front of him, and he instantly shut up as he dug in. I walked over and set Kakuzu's food next to him, carefully avoiding his money. He glanced up, but was silent as he kept counting.

"Damn Airi, still the best cook of the house, huh?" Hidan said, grinning. I gave him a small smile, and the others stopped bickering, Pein looking at me with slight interest.

"You can cook?" I nodded, and he thought for a moment. "Well, Airi, I think we've found use for you. None of us can cook, as you just saw, so I guess you can be the cook." I nodded again, smiling, but my smile faded as Konan huffed, crossing her arms and leaving the room.

I frowned, but didn't go after her. I knew she needed space, and was just slightly embarrassed. I get it. I turned to Kakuzu, who hadn't touched his food, and frowned slightly. I got why he wasn't eating; Money was very important. When I was with father, I had to take care of finances, so I know about the importance of maintaining funds. It must be very stressful, as well, with having to maintain the money for an entire organization!

Kakuzu glanced up at me, raising a brow, and I noticed I'd been staring at him. "Uhm, can I help you?" I blushed, my eyes wide.

I scrambled at my notepad, quickly writing, 'SORRY! I was just thinking about something' He nodded, going back to his counting, and Hidan rose a brow at my behavior.

You see, for twins, Hidan and I are as different as can be. He can tend to be rude, arrogant, cocky, violent, curse-y, etc., while I have been told to be anything _but _those…Well…except for some moments…

"_Airi, please, I'm your father, you can't do this!" My father screamed, his eyes wide with terror._

_I cocked my head to the side, a grotesque smile on my face as I looked at him, my vision red. "Oh, but father, I said that to you every day. I'm your daughter, but yet you still did it. __**You were the bastard who showed no mercy for his goddamn daughter, **__so why should I show mercy now?"_

_He gulped, scrambling away. I frowned, bringing down the sword into his leg with a sickening __**crack **__as it went through bone, and he screamed, tears running down his face. I smiled more, if possible, and twisted it, amused by his screams. They were music to my ears. I ripped the sword out, stabbing his stomach. _

"_Goodbye, papa. I hope you burn in hell for eternity. Can't wait to see you there." And with that, I dragged the blade through his stomach, through his chest, his neck, and cut it out. _

"—the hell up, Airi!" I heard, and I saw Hidan's panicked face in front of mine. The members surrounded me, looks of curiosity, panic, relief, and shock mixed on their faces. I noticed I was shaking, and saw claw marks on Hidan's chest, at least an inch deep, along with some on his neck and face, which were quickly healing.

Tears streamed down his face as Hidan crushed me in a hug. I cried into his chest, and I saw him shoo the other members away, who silently left. "It's alright, Airi, I'm here…You're safe…" My brother whispered to me, holding me.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

I looked up from my money when I heard a slight whimper. I looked up to see, to my shock, Airi, tears streaming down her face, her face so pale you could see her veins, her nails elongating into claws, small fangs protruding from her mouth.

"Hidan, your sister!" I shouted, seeing him not paying attention. His head snapped up, and as soon as he saw Airi, he jumped out of his seat, practically running towards her, but as soon as he got within a foot from her, she lashed out.

She shrieked, clawing at him, and he cursed loudly as she got some pretty deep cuts into him. I winced, but slowly drew closer to her. The other members—along with Konan, who had ran in after hearing the shriek—stayed back, unaware of what to do.

"Airi, wake up! Airi, wake the hell up!" Hidan yelled, and I saw her claws become her normal nails, her fangs shrinking back, her face still pale though. She looked up at Hidan, then to all of us, and tears streamed down her face. Hidan brought her close to him, holding her, and he glared at the rest of us as she cried into his chest, signaling us to leave, which we did, but before I left I heard him whisper, "It's alright, Airi, I'm here…You're safe…". It was the softest and most caring way he'd ever spoken to someone. Konan must had heard it to, because she faltered, smiling softly, and I found myself smiling a bit.

*_**Airi's POV***_

It had been a couple days since that incident. Since I am now the cook, I was going to the grocery store today to grab some stuff. I knew to get the cheapest stuff. I was taking Kakuzu and Hidan along with me, and I hoped they wouldn't be irritated by my cheap-i-ness. We walked into the store and I instantly went into the clearance isle, looking over some of the things carefully as I did mental math, calculating the best deals and grabbing them. Kakuzu stood back a couple feet, eyebrows raised as he looked.

Hidan rolled his eyes and reached for a bottle of sake, and I growled lightly, hitting his hands away, and wrote, 'No! We are doing this for the Organization members, with the money used for this purpose. You want alcohol; get it with your own money, brother.' He glared, but nodded, and grabbed a couple bottles, grabbing his wallet. I smiled, and started looking for the cheapest stuff again, and I heard Kakuzu lightly chuckle behind me.

The trip was productive; I saved a _lot _more than the average person would be able to, and Kakuzu's respect for me had grown.

When we got home, it was already around 10pm. Most of the members had missions in the morning, so they were asleep, but Hidan plopped on the couch with a few bottles of sake.

"C'mon Kakuzu, Airi, have some fun!" He said with a smirk as he held up two bottles. Kakuzu and I shared glances, and I shrugged. The two had no missions tomorrow, so what harm could it really do? We walked over, Kakuzu sitting on the other couch as I sat on the same one as my brother. He handed us both a separate bottle, and Kakuzu opened mine for me. I took a hesitant sip; I had never had alcohol before, so this would be _very _interesting experience for me.

It tasted a bit more bitter than I expected, but when it reached my stomach warmth filled me. I liked it. I took a big gulp, and Hidan chuckled.

"Maybe you should slow down a little…" Kakuzu said, slight concern in his voice.

"Don't listen to the grouch, sis, drink up!" Hidan intercepted, taking a huge gulp of his drink himself. I paused, and decided to take Kakuzu's advice and drink slower. Hidan just rolled his eyes, and Kakuzu didn't say anything.

Within no time though, I was drunk. I looked up at them and started mouthing out random shit, getting them confused as hell, but them, being drunk off their asses, just started hysterically laughing at my drunkardness(Lol is that even a word?). The next thing I knew, I had been laughing, when soberness slammed down on me suddenly and I fell into darkness.

I woke up, not on the couch or floor as I expected I would, but on my bed, snuggled under the blankets. A wave of pain hit my head and I hissed. Fuck. I'd heard about these things before—_hangovers_—but since I've never drank alcohol before, I of course would never experience one. I groaned as I sat up, holding my head, and glanced over to see Konan giving me a small smile, holding out some pills. I smiled at her, and swallowed the pills dry. I almost choked when I saw the time; _2:30 in the afternoon. _Konan giggled lightly at my surprise.

"Never drank, huh?" I shook my head, and she nodded. "Well, Kakuzu was drunk, but not _as _drunk as you and your brother, and brought you in around 3am, and put you in bed. It was so cute!" She said, biting her lip, a big smile on her face. I blushed, and her smile grew. She opened her mouth to say something, but a crash, along with Hidan's cursing, rang out, and we both sighed and got up.

In the lounge, Tobi had knocked over Kisame's tropical fish bowl, making Hidan angry for the loud noise, Kakuzu sigh, agitated over the money loss, and Kisame act like his entire family was dead. I shook my head, and Konan sighed as she got a broom and started cleaning up the glass, since Kisame was already holding his fish close to him. I walked over and sat in-between Kakuzu and Hidan on the couch. Hidan stopped his cursing and turned towards me, a slight smirk on his face.

"Enjoying your first hangover, sis?"

I glared at him. I was _not _in the mood. I wrote down quickly, 'Hah, cute. Lookit, I'm not in the mood, as you can OBVIOUSLY tell, so shut the fuck up before I carve out your eyes and feed them to you.' I gave it to him with a sweet smile.

He paled—if that was possible, for him—when he saw it, his eyes wide. Kakuzu rose a brow, so I showed it to him, and when he saw it he burst into laughter, causing me to smirk.

His laughter came to a stop as Pein walked in, clearing his throat. "Airi, I'd like to see how skilled you are, so today you will fight one of the members. You get to choose, and whoever it is will explain how it goes. The fight will be in five, so get ready and get someone fast." And with that, he was gone.

Everyone was silent as they looked at me. Who would I fight? Gah, stupid question, easily answered. I pointed to Hidan, and his brows rose.

"Me?" I nodded, and he smirked. "Okay, if you say so. Go get your weapons and whatever you'll wear, you really don't need what will happen explained to you."

I nodded, and went into my room, grabbing my black bandeau and yoga pants, quickly changing into them. Really odd clothing for a battle, but they let me move easier, and agility is one of my biggest strongpoints. I grabbed a single kunai, hiding it in-between my breasts, and headed out. Hidan started laughing at my appearance, but one glare from me got him to shut up.

"You don't even have a weapon!?" He sighed. "C'mon, let's get this over with." motioning me to follow him, which I did. He led me to what seemed like a training ground, and the other members, along with Pein, stood by.

"Get into your positions." Pein said. Hidan and I got on opposite sides of the area, and Pein nodded. "Fight."

I stood still as Hidan rushed at me, a malicious smirk planted on his face, and when he neared me, I saw red.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

Hidan charged at her, was about a foot from her, when she was gone in a second. I frowned, as did the others, and Hidan turned around, confused. Suddenly, she was behind him, and I got a glance at her face; emotionless. And her fangs were out, like before, and claws elongated. She kicked his back, and he hit the wall _hard. _It cracked, and he groaned, but spun around and slashed, getting her neck, and as blood poured out, she snarled at him and clawed at his chest, ripping it, as blood sprayed out and flesh looked like ribbons. I stood up, eyes wide.

"Stop!" Pein yelled at the two. Hidan stopped fighting, only trying to stopped himself from getting injured anymore as she continued, trying to rip him apart. Suddenly, she had a kunai, which I don't remember seeing her with, and with one slice, his head was off.

Slowly, she calmed, and looked around. Her fangs and claws receded, and she looked at her brother's body in horror.

"Relax, sis, I'm immortal. Kakuzu, come and sew my head back on!" Hidan said, smirking at her terror, but when I got closer, there was slight fear in his eyes as he looked at his sister. I grabbed his head, ignoring his complaints as I quickly sew his head back on, the entire time Airi was looking at the blood in horror.

_***Airi's POV***_

_I did this? _I thought as I looked at his body. Long, deep claw and bite marks marred his body, so deep I could see the bone. The sight, along with the metallic smell of the blood, made me feel sick. Hidan just smirked at me, but fear was hidden in his eyes. I knew it was fear, because it was the same look father had given me. When I reached out, he flinched slightly, but tried to play it off as if he wasn't afraid.

Tears burned my eyes, and Kakuzu looked over at me, concern on his face. "Airi—"

I took off running, ignoring the member's calls. I had to get out of here, at least to my room. I ran in, slamming and locking the door behind me, and rushed into the bathroom, doing the same.

I looked at the mirror. The person looking back at me was bloodied, but not with her own blood. Her eyes were wide, her hair messy and down, not in their usual pigtails, and she had a couple cuts on her face, nothing major. There was a large gash in her neck, bleeding heavily, and a wave of dizziness came over me as I reached out to her. My hand touched glass, as did hers, and blood smeared on the glass. I frowned, and hit the mirror slightly, a large crack going up it, and her image was distorted. Then I noticed; she was the one who had done that to my brother! My frown deepened, as did hers, and I slammed my fist on the glass. The mirror broke, and she disappeared, leaving a bunch of broken glass, both on the sink and in my hand. Blood pooled down my hand, but I didn't feel anything.

The dizziness increased as blood pooled from my hand. I faintly heard pounding on a door and yelling, but barely. That metallic smell was back, and I felt my eyes roll in the back of my head as my body collapsed to the floor.

I awoke in a brightly lit room, and I covered my eyes, hating the light. As my eyes got used to it, I noticed a couple stitches on my hand, and I frowned.

"Oh, you're finally awake." A voice said beside me, and I jumped, but relaxed when I saw it was only Kakuzu. He gave me a lopsided smile from under his mask. "Feeling any better?" I nodded, as did he. "Good." Then, his smile turned into a frown. "You had a pretty nasty wound on your neck and your hand. The one on your neck could have made you bleed to death if we had been any later, but Hidan practically tore down the door." I winced at Hidan's name, remembering what I had done. He continued, "When I was fixing up your throat, though, I noticed that there is no damage done to your vocal cords…" His frown deepened, and I sighed. I knew he'd bring it up eventually.

"I-I c-can talk, I j-just don't." I said, stumbling on my words, my voice hoarse from not being used in so long.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

My eyes widened in shock as she spoke. "I can talk, I just don't."

Her voice was husky, making her sound sexy and aroused. I stared at her in shock, and she shrugged, getting up. "W-Wait, you can actually talk?! Why don't you!?" I asked, dumbfounded, and she shrugged again.

"Just never found the need to. Verbal communication is idiotic, to me. Why verbally communicate, when you can act or write it, actually being able to think about your words?"

I swear, every word she says I find myself more aroused, and I hated myself for it. I watched her walk out of the room, silent, and I stared at the doorway, completely dumbfounded.

_***Airi's POV***_

I walked out of the room, annoyed. I hated speaking. When people speak, they talk before they think, causing them to be irrational, while when you write it out, you can think on it, and made edits. Sure, you can still act before you think, but at least you won't _sound _like an idiot.

I walked through the halls, finding my room quickly. Konan sat on her bed, reading, but she looked up at me, concern showing in her features when I walked in.

"You okay, hun?" she asked. In the time I've been here, she's acted like a mother to me, which is a new experience for me, considering my own mother had died when I was young.

I sighed, nodding, and wrote down, "_Yea, just exhausted, which is funny since I've slept for a while."_

"Two days." She corrected, and my eyes widened, making her chuckle. "You lost a lot of blood, silly; of course you'd sleep for a while." I just shook my head, going into the bathroom. I noticed there was a new door there, and rose a brow at Konan. "The boys had to break it down to get to you." She explained, and I nodded, walking in. There was a new mirror. My reflection startled me; I had dark spots under my eyes, my hair was a mess, and the white in my hair had changed into a slightly dimmer color, like a really light grey. I frowned, rubbing a strand in between two fingers, and poked my head outside the bathroom door, tossing Konan a note saying, '_Hey Konan, can we go shopping?' _

Her face brightened up, and she beamed. "Of course we can! C'mon, grab some clothes and let's go!"

About four excruciating hours of shopping later, I'd gotten a couple outfits, some weapons (don't ask) and some red hair dye. When we came back, Kakuzu and Hidan were on a mission. _Perfect. _I thought, smiling to myself. I turned to Konan, handing her a note. "Hey, can you help me dye my hair?"

She smiled, and nodded. "Sure."

So, another two hours later, my hair was finally done. We had died and cut it, and to me, it looked pretty cool. Way different than my old hair. The red dye, mixed with my white hair, had made it pink, so we had cut it in a punk style to match it, and put on some of my new clothes.

Almost as soon as we were done, we heard my brother's infamous, "We're back bitches!" Konan and I smirked, and walked out to meet up with those two.

We rounded the corner and were face-to-face with my brother and Kakuzu. I grinned at their shocked faces, and Konan giggled.

"What the fucking hell, Airi!?" Hidan yelled. I rolled my eyes, ignoring him. Kakuzu was still staring at me in shock, and I giggled, snapping my fingers in front of his face. He blinked, and cleared his throat.

"Uhm…Very…interesting style…Airi…" he said slowly, looking at my new appearance. I rose a brow, and he rushed out, "In a good way!" making me laugh.

Hidan was still cursing up a storm at my appearance, so I just looked at Konan. We both shrugged, and walked away. I gave a small wave at Kakuzu, smiling lightly as I walked away.

It had been a few hours. Hidan wouldn't stop complaining about how his twin dyed her hair pink, and it was starting to annoy me. I dyed my hair pink; so what? It's my hair!

I growled as Hidan started complaining again as I was drinking coffee. "I can't believe you'd do something so stupid! No wonder father didn't want to deal with you!"

Something in me snapped. He didn't know _anything. _ Without thinking, I threw the cup at his head. "_Shut the hell up!" _I screamed, anger coursing through me. The mug broke on his head, and he yelled out as the hot coffee dripped off his head, but when he opened his mouth to reply, he froze.

"Airi…You talked…" Hidan said, but it sounded like how he had used to talk to me; caring, loving, kind, protective…brotherly.

I took a shaky breath, nodding. "You don't know anything, Hidan, so just shut the fuck up." And with that, I left, silent once again. My throat was burning from talking so much, and I just wanted to be away from him.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

I was silent as Hidan stared after his sister. Even I was shocked about her little…_outburst._ What got into her?

"I don't know anything? What the hell does that mean?" Hidan mumbled to himself. I frowned, ignoring him, and went after Airi.

I found her in her room, face in her pillow, and Konan crouched next to the bed, patting her back supportingly. Konan glanced up at me, whispered something to Airi, and got up, walking over in the hall with me. She closed the door quietly behind her, and glared at me.

"What the hell did you and Hidan do to her?!" She whisper-yelled.

My frown deepened. "I didn't do shit; Hidan kept complaining about her hair, and when he mentioned her father, she snapped and threw a full cup of hot coffee at his head and screamed at him. Has she told you anything about her father?"

Konan shook her head. "No, it never came up. Look, she hasn't spoken—or written—to me, maybe you could try..?" She faded off, giving me a hopeful look.

I nodded. "Of course I will; that's what I came to do."

Konan nodded, a relieved sigh escaping her. She stepped to the side, gesturing to the door, and I walked it, carefully making it to Airi's side. I crouched beside her bed, looking at her. She rose her face slightly to look at me, and tears were running down her eyes.

"Airi? What's wrong?" I asked softly. She shook her head, burying her face back into her pillow, and I frowned. I rubbed her back comfortably, but then it hit me. Why do I care so much? I've never treated anyone like this, why do I now?

My thoughts were interrupted when Airi looked up again. Her face was slightly pale, dried tears still on her cheeks, her eyes red from crying. "I-I'm sorry, Kuzu."

I froze for a moment at the nickname. "'Kuzu'?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

She smiled lightly. "Yea, it's your nickname, silly."

A slight smile made its way onto my face, and I patted her head. "I like it." Her smile grew a bit, and I asked again, wanting to find out; "Why did you snap when Hidan mentioned your—"

"Father. And it's because he had no idea what happened. He always looked up to him, unaware of what he did." She growled, cutting me off, her smile gone. "Hidan could never understand the monster our father really was."

I stayed silent. I think this is the most she'd talked since she's been here. "I'm sorry, Airi." I said quietly.

She shook her head. "Don't apologize, Kuzu." She smiled, cocking her head to the side. "You couldn't ever do anything to hurt me, so you never have to apologize."

I felt warmth spread to my cheeks, and she giggled at my blush. Damn, what was this girl doing to me?

_***Airi's POV***_

I laughed slightly at his blush, peeking from under his mask, and how he tried to hide it by looking down, which made him blush more. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I looked at him curiously.

"Hey Kuzu?"

He rose a brow. "Yeah?"

"Why do you wear a mask?" I asked. I had been wondering about this for a while now. I'd never seen his face. Even when he ate or drank, he's always go into his room to do so.

He tensed slightly. "It's a personal reason." He said carefully.

This time I rose a brow. "What is it?"

He sighed, shaking his head slightly, and pulled down his mask. He had stitches, but that was it. I cocked by head to the side. "I don't see anything wrong."

He looked utterly surprised by my reaction. "'Nothing wrong'?"

I rose a brow. "What, did you think I was gonna grab a pitchfork and torches and gather the townsfolk? There's nothing wrong with your face, Kuzu." I smiled at him. "Besides, I like uniqueness."

He blushed again, and got up. "I should go. I'll talk to you later."

Hurt flashed across my face, but I quickly masked it. Did I say something wrong? Dammit, this kind of shit is why I didn't talk! I swallowed and nodded. "O-Okay."

He practically ran out of the room, after pulling his mask up, and slammed the door behind him. I felt tears stinging my eyes once again, and I shook my head, blinking them away. _No, _I thought. _I am Hidan's sister. My brother was strong, as was the rest of my family. I will not be a weak little girl. _I sniffed once, then wiped my eyes as I sat up.

I went into the bathroom, ignoring Konan's yells to let her into the room, that it was her room too, and went through the bags we got from shopping. I found a pair of black skinny jeans, a tight black tank-top, and put them on. I'm not doing this to look good; I like clothes that mold to your body, because they help me move around better. Weird, I know, but eh.

I left the bathroom after fixing my hair, brushing my teeth, and washing my face. I strapped a couple kunais to my sides and thigh, under my shirt. I opened the bedroom door, and Konan froze when she saw me. I frowned.

"Is something wrong? Do I look bad?" I asked, worried.

A huge smile lit her face. "You look amazing! Awe, did you dress up for Kakuzu!?"

I blushed. "N-No! I'm going training!" I denied, and she giggled at my blush, staying silent as she dragged me to the lounge, where most of the members sat. When Hidan saw me rush in, he flinched slightly—again—and I had to blink back tears. I can't believe my own twin is afraid of me.

Kisame wolf-whistled and I grinned. He turned back slightly. "Hey Kakuzu, get in here."

I panicked, giving Kisame a _what the hell _look. He shrugged and I flipped him off. I started panicking, and before I knew it, my hands were moving, and smoke filled the room. I heard coughing.

"What the hell!?" Kakuzu yelled. Nobody could see anything, besides me. I quietly escaped from the room, and made my way to the training field, which was empty, I sighed in relief, when suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back, pinning me to the wall, and I was face-to-face with Kakuzu. I blushed.

"What are you doing?" He asked, but it wasn't hard, or stern, as I'd suspected, but gentle.

My blush increased, and I bit my lip, looking at my bare feet. "I was going to train.."

He shook his head, and two fingers went under my chin, pulling my head up to meet his gaze. "No. What you're wearing." I saw him smirk under his mask. "Are you trying to tease me?"

My eyes widened and I gaped. _Did he just ask me that? _"I-I-I—_what?_"

He chuckled at my reaction, but tensed slightly as I unconsciously had reached up and slowly pulled his mask down. I hadn't even realized I did until it was already down. His lips were slightly parted, and I knew he was about to say something, but I needed to tell him something first. I opened my mouth, but his lips crashed onto mine, and my eyes widened in surprise. They drifted close, though, and I found myself kissing him back.

_Today really had escalated quickly…_

A wolf-whistle sounded, and I pulled away from the kiss, looking to see who was there. My brother stood, grinning at us, and I glared at him.

"C'mon sis, you could do so much better than that greedy bastard!" He said, smirking, and I glared at him.

"I'd much rather have Kuzu than a playboy douchbag like you." I said, returning his smirk that had just faded.

"What the fucking hell!?" He snapped, glaring at me.

I rose a brow. "I can get another coffee cup, y'know." And I grinned victoriously as he paled.

Kakuzu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Hidan, why the hell are you here?

"What, I can't come to check on my sister?" Hidan said, in a very condescending way, and I frowned.

"You don't always have to be an ass to Kuzu, Hidan." I growled, and a snort escaped from him.

"'Kuzu'? Is that your nickname for him!?" He sneered, and I felt tears stinging my eyes. Not from him teasing the name, but because I now realized how much he's changed. I saw something flash in his eyes when he saw a tear rolling down my face, and regret washed over his features, but I just shook my head, using my smoke-disguise jutsu again, and when the smoke came up I ran.

I heard Kakuzu calling after me, knowing I had ran, but I ignored him as I ran into the forest. I swear I had ran for at least an hour before I stopped, leaning against a tree as I rested my head against the palm of one of my hands.

I stayed like for a few minutes, tears running down my face, before someone lightly touched my shoulder. I jumped, but felt them back away. I opened my eyes to see a guy with white hair with a blue tint, violet eyes, and a sharp tooth poking out from his mouth. He was just adorable! He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked softly.

I shook my head, sniffling, and cleared my throat. "I-It's nothing.. Just my brother…"

He nodded a bit, lightly brushing a cut on my face, which I guess I got from a branch when I was running. "Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head again. "N-No, I was running. A tree branch must have gotten me…"

"Okay…Hey, follow me, I've got something that will make you feel better." He said, smiling slightly as he held out a hand. I hesitated. "C'mon, it'll be fun." I nodded a bit, taking his hand, and he smiled, revealing sharp teeth. This guy was adorable! "I'm Suigetsu."

"Airi." I said, smiling back at him.

Suigetsu and I had been walking for a while, and I was starting to get nervous. I had never been on this path, let alone this part of the forest. He noticed my uneasiness and chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, we're here." And with that, he took my hand and dragged me through a rather large bush, revealing what looked like a hideout.

_Just like the Akatsuki…_ I thought to myself, with a tiny smile. He lead me through a door, and I saw a guy resembling Itachi slightly, a girl with glasses, a calm-looking man, a silver-haired guy with glasses, and a man resembling a snake. I rose a brow, looking at Suigetsu curiously, but was surprised to see his face emotionless, his eyes hard. I pressed my arms together, and was relieved to feel the coldness of my kunai in my chest (_**as explained before, that's where she keeps them since she fights better wearing little, shut up, she isn't a whore)**_.

"Suigetsu, who is your little…friend?" The snakey guy said, but it sounded closer to a hiss.

I looked at Suigetsu once more, and he looked down at me, and regret and guilt washed over his features for a moment, before saying, "She's the Akatsuki's favorite pet."

I gaped at him. How the hell did he—my ring! I looked down at my ring Pein gave me. But why would he rat me out!? I thought he was being friendly…

And what did he mean by 'favorite pet'!? I wasn't the Akatsuki's pet...Was I?

The snake man nodded, smirking at me. "Good. Chain her up."

The next thing I knew, something hit my head, and everything went black.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

"God dammit Airi, where the hell are you!?" I mumbled to myself.

We—Hidan and I—have been looking for Airi for at least two hours. After she'd run off, we knew there would be trouble.

"God dammit Hidan, you just had to be a dick!" I said to Hidan, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, alright!? I didn't know she'd fucking flip; I don't know what the hell her problem is!" He snapped, glaring at me. He froze as he looked at something, and I followed his gaze, only to see something that made me freeze as well; in the mud, along with some drops of fresh-looking blood, were two sets of footprints, one barefoot.

Airi always walked barefoot.

I gulped, looking over and seeing them leading somewhere, but a thought came to me. "Wait…this is too easy. Only an idiot would leave blood and muddy foot prints in plain sight…" I looked in the opposite direction of the footprints, to see smeared mud, as if someone tried to cover something. I pointed in the direction. "That's where she is."

Hidan nodded. "Never took you to be a bright one."

I glanced over at him. "The same could be said to you." And before he replied, I took off down the path, intent on finding Airi.

_***Airi's POV***_

I awoke strapped onto a hard, cold, metal table. Panic rushed through me, and I struggled with the straps, but I was surprised when they snapped easily. I jumped up—quietly, of course—and looked around the room. Confusion joined my panic when I realized—there was no door. No windows, besides one rather large one close to the ceiling, darkened. I could see a shadow of a person on the other side of the window, and I panicked.

"_Hey! Please—" _I choked, holding my suddenly pained throat. Their arm moved, and I heard a voice in the room.

"Why hello Airi, I see the shot has taken affect." A voice hissed, and I recognized it immediately; he was the snake guy from earlier!

_He—wait…'shot'? _I looked up, my panic growing as I found myself unable to speak.

He laughed, but it sounded more like an evil cackle, making me grimace. "Those straps you just broke through are metal, yet you broke through as if it was paper! That should explain the shot for itself! Ah, I had a feeling there would be side effects though, but it's fine, since your file says you don't speak, hm?"

I paled, looking down at my hands, and opened my mouth to say something, but choked once again, and coughed up blood as I held my hands to my throat. He cackled again, and I heard the speakers go off.

I looked at my blood on the floor. It stood out on the white tile. Hell, everything in this room was bright white, besides the metal table. I went over to check it out, and it was confirmed; the cuffs were in fact metal. I sighed, rubbing a temple, as I looked around the room for any way of escape. Nope, none.

I went over to a wall curiously. If I can break out of metal like paper, can I punch through and run? I took a deep breath, drawing my fist back, and slammed it into the wall.

I cried out, making me cough up more blood, as electricity went into my body from the wall, and I fell to my knees, holding my shaking fist. Suddenly, small black pipes came out all over the walls, releasing a purple gas.

_Gah—I won't be able to escape like this…_I thought as I felt myself slipping out of consciousness.

_Kakuzu…Please, get here fast…_Was my last thought before sleep claimed me.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

We found their base, but didn't go in, which Hidan had been pretty upset about.

"_Oh shit, there it is!" Hidan yelled, starting to run in. I growled, grabbing the back of his cloak._

"_You can't just run in, idiot! We don't know what's going on, how many are in there…Just wait a bit. We'll go in at nightfall!" I snapped, and he growled._

"_Fine, but if anything happens to my little sister, you're so fucked." I heard the concern and worry in his voice that he tried to mask with anger, and I rose a brow._

"'_Little' sister? I thought you two were twins."_

_He shook his head. "We may be, but she was younger by about ten minutes, and was more like the runt. According to our father, she almost didn't make it. Since he told me that, I've always thought of her as a little sister, and I will risk my fucking life for her. And if your decision puts her in harm," He glared at me with the most ferocity he's ever shown, which is really saying something. "Then I will personally make your life a living hell."_

Night had finally fallen, and I silently nodded to Hidan. We both silently approached the base, sneaking through the front. This place, surprisingly enough, had low security.

We went in, and cloaked ourselves in the shadows as we went down the dark halls. We passed countless doors, hearing screams and cries of pain, and I didn't feel one lick of remorse as we passed them. We were here for one thing and one thing alone; Airi.

After going through many halls, we stopped at a door saying,

'Warning- New subject, very hostile, do not enter without Lord Orochimaru.'

Hidan and I looked at eachother and nodded. New and hostile? Sounds like her.

We opened the door quietly, and a giant glass, looking seemingly one-way, along with buttons, syringes, tubes, etc. greeted us. The room the window showed was pure white all over, but even from up here we could see splatters of blood. Orochimaru was in there, along with a figure huddled in the corner. From here, I couldn't tell who the figure was, though. Orochimaru went to one of the walls and a door that wasn't there before appeared, and he went in, leaving the room and it disappeared.

Hidan's face contorted in confusion as he leaned forward to the glass, putting his hand to it as he narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the huddled figure. I looked down to notice a file on the floor, grabbing it immediately and flipping it open.

It was a picture of a smiling Airi, along with information;

Name- Airi

Special Relations- Twin sister of Akatsuki's Hidan

Age- Unknown, estimated around twenty-two

Experiment- Strength

Side Effects- Throat problems, unable to speak or make sounds without immense throat pain and coughing up blood

Side Effect Severity- Low

Experiment Status- Seemingly Successful

I frowned. _Seemingly Successful? Experiment? _Realization hit me and I growled. "The bastard experimented on her!" I snarled, making Hidan freeze.

"_What!?" _He almost yelled. He turned to the glass. "C'mon Kuzu, we're busting her out."

I frowned as he used Airi's name for me, but let it slide this one time. Hidan drew his fist back, smashing it into the glass in front of him. It shattered, and we heard the huddled figure, who is supposedly Airi, scream in fright, then cough, and blood splattered onto the floor.

"Airi!" Hidan and I yelled at the same time as we saw her huddled in the corner, blood around her...

Holding her clothes close to her.

Alarms went off, and Hidan and I covered our ears. Red lights flashed in the room, and we heard Airi scream in alarm yet again, and like the previous time as well, cough up more blood. What was different than last time, though, was when she collapsed. I jumped through the broken window, ignoring Hidan's calls as Orochimaru and Kabuto charged in, and headed for Airi.

When I reached her, I was repulsed at what I saw. Multiple bruises marred her delicate, pale skin, along with burn marks going up one of her arms. Blood dripped from her mouth, and her hair was chopped up. A metal collar was around her neck, small beeping lights on it, along with a hole, which I assumed was for a key.

She wasn't unconscious, just shaking from pain, holding her throat, above the collar. I frowned as I crouched down and she scurried away from me, wincing slightly, probably from pain.

"Airi, it's me, Kakuzu. Don't be afraid.." I said softly, reaching out slowly to her. She didn't back away, but she flinches as my gloved hand cupped her cheek, gently lifting her head up a bit. She had a black eye and a busted lip. The blood from the cut on her lip mixed with the blood coming from her mouth. Her pinkish hair was, as I said, choppy, and short. Not too short, it was slightly past her shoulders, but not nearly as long as it had been. She had bruises on her shoulders, neck, wrists, arms, everywhere! Her legs were pulled up to her chest, and her arms—holding her clothes—were wrapped around them.

"Don't be scared, this won't hurt a bit, I just need to get this collar off, alright?" I asked softly, and she hesitantly nodded. I took a small kunai out of my pocket, poking the tip into the hole of the collar. I knew how to pick locks pretty well, and in seconds it was off. The collar fell to the ground, and she wrapped a hand around her throat, eyes wide.

I stood up, helping her up as I did. "Put on your clothes, alright? Here, I'll turn around, okay?" I asked, and she hesitantly nodded. I turned around, looking at how easily Hidan took down Kabuto and Orochimaru, and shook my head. They were lucky I wasn't the one fighting them, or they'd suffer before they died, slowly and painfully. I could tell Hidan wanted that to happen, but he needed to take care of them quickly, so he could get to his sister.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see a dressed Airi. Her clothes were torn, and consisted of only a white tank top—one of the straps were off, almost revealing one of her breasts, and it was bloody in the front, some scorch marks on one side, and completely torn apart, so it looked more like cloth—and white shorts—torn, as well, but not as much as the shirt.

Airi didn't look like herself at all, though. Yes, her appearance was different, but I meant her eyes. They weren't how they usually were—bright, happy, caring, and warm—but cold and scared, seemingly lost, as if she had no idea what was going on. I frowned, seeing her look at something past me, and turned around to see a blood-covered Hidan.

"Hidan, I don't think—"I started, cutting myself off as Airi ran forward into her brother's arms. Hidan looked as surprised as me, but hugged her back tightly, yet not enough to hurt her. A thought kept returning to me, though, no matter how much I tried to push it away—

What had all this done to Airi…Mentally?

_***Airi's POV***_

I hugged my big brother tightly, kinda scared of the strange man with the mask. His eyes were cool, but the stitches were really scary! He helped me though, and he knew big brother, so he couldn't have been bad.

I pointed shyly to the strange man, trying to indicate to Hida-kun that I wanted to know who he was. I was surprised when I saw myself much taller than I remembered, almost reaching Hida-kun's height.

He tensed, and pulled away as he looked at me. "Airi, you don't remember Kakuzu?"

I frowned. Kakuzu? Weird name. I shook my head, nervously sucking my finger. "Hida-kun-" I was cut off at the sharp pain at my throat, making me cough up more blood. Hidan rubbed my back, pulling my bangs-the only part of my hair not chopped up-away so the blood wouldn't get in it.

Hida-kun frowned. "'Hida-kun'? Airi, you haven't called me that since you were—" He stopped talking, his eyes going wide as he looked at me in horror. "Oh my Jashin…"

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

Hidan and I took Airi back to the base quickly. On the way, she'd passed out, but when we'd stopped so I could examine her, it had just been from exhaustion.

"I still don't understand what's wrong with her head." Hidan said for the millionth time, and I held back a groan of annoyance.

"Due to the shock of everything that's happened—the experimentation making her stronger than anyone should be physically capable of, her throat and vocal cords being messed with, the abuse and….and rape," I clenched my fists. "Then us suddenly coming back, all in what... a day? Two?—has made her mind trick her, taking her mentally back to the age where she felt she was last completely safe."

Hidan shook his head. "That can't be possible, though! The last time she called me Hida-kun was when she was like six!"

I gave him a look. "Well you left when she was around seven, didn't you? And your mother died right before that. Maybe since both of you were gone, she didn't feel safe."

He shook his head again. "She was with our father, why wouldn't she feel—" Hidan cut himself off, obviously thinking, before his face darkened. "Airi used to mention something about father. I never paid any attention to it, but she was always…skittish, around him."

I nodded. "That must be it. She—"

A small, annoyed sound was heard, and both our heads instantly snapped back towards Airi. She was awake, an IV attached to her, lying on a cot, gripping the blanket on her as she looked over at us. She held up a small paper, I guess I must have left it by the bed, written in barely legible writing, saying Hida kun, _where are we? Where's mama?_

_***Hidan's POV***_

'_Where's mama?'_

I froze. The one question I feared since Kakuzu explained her issue. Where was our mother.

How the hell do you tell your sister, who has the mind of a six-year-old, that her mother is dead? How!?

"I—uh—mama…" I stammered, feeling the blood rush from my face.

She nodded, indicating for me to go on, impatient.

I sighed, shaking my head, as I looked to Kakuzu, for the first time ever, for help. He thought for a moment, before standing up, walking over to needles, and picking one up filled with clear liquid. He walked over to Airi, giving her a smile from under his mask as he crouched down beside her.

"Airi, can you be a big girl and let me give you this shot?" He asked, and I had to put a hand over my mouth to stop from laughing as he talked to her as if she were a baby.

She hesitated, quickly writing _'Will I get a lollipop?'_

I opened my mouth, but Kakuzu beat me to it. "Yes, you will get a lollipop, I promise." Airi then nodded, closing her eyes as he injected the liquid into her arm. "Can you count back from 100?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath, and started mouthing out the numbers. _100, 99, 98, 97, 96..95…94…9…_ She tampered off, her eyes fluttering closed, and soon her breaths became deep with sleep.

Kakuzu nodded, and I could have sworn his hand had lingered on hers when he got up, before turning to me. He noticed my expression and looked at me confused. "What?"

I just shook my head. "How are you gonna go through this?" He opened his mouth, and I quickly cut him off. "I know you two have a thing for eachother. I was there when you two were kissing, for Jashin's sake!"

Kakuzu paused, thinking about what I said, and I waited impatiently for a reply.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

Hidan's question struck me. What _was _I going to do? I mean, I know I have to figure out how to make her mind come back to her actual age, and remember everything, but the question was, _**how was I going to do it?**_

_***Nobody's POV***_

Kakuzu sat in his room, alone. Hidan was with Airi somewhere, playing hide-n-seek with her. He felt tears stinging his eyes as past events went through his head. It had been about a week since they got her back.

"_Airi, look at Kakuzu; do you recognize anything? At all!?" Hidan asked, almost frantically. _

_Airi, nervous, looked at Kakuzu. She honestly didn't recognize a single thing about this man, but she didn't want to make her brother upset; he looked close to tears. She shook her head hesitantly._

"_Damn it, Airi!" Kakuzu couldn't stop himself from yelling out, grabbing her shoulders a bit rough as he looked at her. His mask had fallen down, and she stared in horror at his long rows of stitches. "What happened to you!? This shit should have worn off by now!" He felt tears stinging his eyes as he shook his head, shaking her. Airi's eyes were wide from fear. "Why the hell don't you remember me!? Please Airi!" He shouted, his head down as he silently begged whatever god was out there to bring his Airi back. "I just want my fucking girl back, dammit! Is that too much to ask!?" His voice cracked, and Hidan finally knocked out of his shock._

"_Kisame, Itachi!" He called out. The next thing Kakuzu knew, Kisame was restraining him and Itachi had forced him to look into his eyes, instantly making him pass out. _

_Airi shook with fear, burying herself in her brother's arms as he stroked her hair as he held her close, looking at the others grimly. He knew Kakuzu loved her, and it was tearing even __**him **__apart seeing this._

_**Please Airi, come back... **__Hidan thought, closing his eyes for a moment._

Kakuzu shook his head, sighing deeply. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he feared he had lost the girl he loved forever. Tears that he refused to let fall stung his eyes as he clenched his fists.

_***Airi's POV***_

I huffed in irritation. Where was Hida-kun!? I looked everywhere, running through one of the halls. I opened the closest door and saw the room empty. I groaned, going to the next one, and found stitches—Kakuzu. I gulped—he really scared me, but for some reason, I wanted to cuddle him like how I see girls cuddling brother, but at the same time run and hide. He looked up at me, and his expression turned surprised.

"Airi?" He asked, starting to get up. I panicked, and ran off, leaving him standing there confused.

I bumped into someone, falling on my butt. "Owwie!" I yelled, quickly turning into more coughs.

"Oh shit, sorry Airi, un!" The blonde man, who earlier had been introduced as Deidara, said frantically helping me up. I put a hand to my mouth as I couldn't stop coughing, as soon blood was practically pouring out of my hand into a puddle on the hard floor. "Fuck!" He yelled, a hand on my back as he crouched down. "Kakuzu! We need help!" He shouted over my coughs. I heard multiple doors slam, and in an instant both Hida-kun and Kakuzu were at my side.

Kakuzu didn't bother saying anything as he scooped me up, and I tried coughing away from him, not wanting to get blood on him, but as he ran he gently pushed my head back, mumbling, "Don't strain your neck, love. It's fine, I don't care about this shirt anyway."

For some reason, my face heated up when he called me love. I wasn't embarrassed or anything, so I didn't know why.

"Kakuzu, what's going on with her!?" My brother yelled, keeping up as he ran beside Kakuzu.

He just shook his head. "I don't know, I haven't checked yet, dammit!" Soon, he was laying me down on a cot, and looked at me with pained eyes. "I'm gonna make you go to sleep, alright?" I nodded, sputtering as blood came out of my mouth, and felt a light prick on my arm, before I feel into blessed sleep, no blood, no pain, no confusing feelings.

_***Kakuzu's POV***_

I sighed deeply as I took off the bloody gloves. "Her throat is sewn, so she should be better. Not immediately, of course, because there _will _have to be time for recovery, but she should have her vocal abilities without trouble back within a week." I explained to Hidan, who nodded.

"What about her memory problem?" Hidan asked hesitantly, and I sighed.

"I honestly don't know, Hidan." I groaned lightly in irritation, putting my head in one of my hands. Recently it had been so stressful. I sorta missed when the biggest problem was a failed mission or when five dollars went missing because Hidan wanted a hot dog.

Hidan sighed, shaking his head. "Fucking snake… Fucking me…"

I looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"If I didn't piss her off, she wouldn't have gone out into the woods." Hidan clarified, clenching his fists. Anger and guilt showed in his eyes, and I shook my head.

"No, you were just being Hidan. She was just upset that you're different from the Hidan she used to know." I said, frowning slightly, and he nodded silently.

_**Then, suddenly, we heard a long, never-ending beeeeeeeep.**_

_***Airi's POV***_

"_Please, just let me go back home!" I begged for the billionth time, ignoring the searing pain, and how my voice sounded croaked as it got past the blood trying to choke me. Burn marks had scarred on my arm for how many times I'd tried breaking out. _

_I heard Orochimaru cackle over the speakers, genuinely amused by my futile attempts. It had only been, what, two, three hours? And already a bunch of shit had happened!? A bunch of perverted, scary, awful things…_

_Suddenly, a man appeared at my side. I couldn't see what he looked like, because for some reason, he was blurry, but nothing else was. He held out his hand, beckoning me to take it. I hesitated; I didn't know him, he just appeared for Jashin's sake!_

"_Come. I'll make all this pain go away, I promise." He said, and for some reason, I knew it was true. Hesitantly, I took his hand, and even though he was blurred, I saw him smile._

_Everything went white, the lab disappeared, Orochimaru disappeared, and all my pain…vanished. I looked at myself in wonder; my chopped hair had grown back long, as if I had never cut it in my life, and it had returned to its original silver color. I was in a light, white gown that went just past my knees, and I almost jumped when I looked behind me to see pure white wigs, protruding from my back. I turned back to the man, who I still couldn't see what he looked like. _

"_Who are you?" I asked, and was shocked to have no pain, no blood, and my voice sounding like silk._

_I saw him smile again. "I am Jashin."_

_***Hidan's POV***_

I stared in shock at the machine that wouldn't beep normally. The one that supposedly said my sister was dead.

I couldn't breathe as Kakuzu freaked, trying to revive her, calling out to the others for help.

I couldn't move as the other members ran in, becoming frantic. Konan started sobbing after one look at the situation, while light sniffles could be heard from Tobi. Kisame went into shock, while Zetsu was already aware since the machine made that obsessive noise.

_Beep….Beep…Beep…Beeeeeeeeeeee—_

I frowned. No, my sister wasn't dead. She couldn't be. I dimly saw Pein try talking to me, but I couldn't hear him. Kakuzu wouldn't stop trying to revive her, no matter what members tried to pry him away. I felt something wet on my cheek, and wiped it away with my hand, but they kept coming. My vision was blurry, and I looked down at my hand to see something clear.

Tears?

No, that couldn't be it. I hadn't cried in…forever. I looked back up to see Kakuzu, his mask and hood down, but he obviously couldn't care. He had tears running down his face, dripping onto Airi.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Beeeeeeeeee—_

I heard faint sobbing, and looked over to see Konan's sobs had intensified. Kakuzu had finally stopped his futile attempts to revive her. Why was he? She wasn't dead!

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Beeeeeeeeeee—_

My frown deepened. I heard talking, and yelling, and dripping, and beeping.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Beeeeeeeee—_

_She isn't dead, god dammit!_

_Konan, stop. You see her just as we do—_

_No!_

_Get her out of here._

_Put me down, dammit! Pein, you fucking bastard, she isn't dead!_

_**Slam!**_

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Beeeeeeeee—_

I felt a hand touch my shoulder, light as a feather. I looked up and saw someone who…who looked like mother.

"Mom?" I whispered, my voice croaked.

The woman frowned, shaking her head. Then, I noticed her eyes. Red. Mother had blue eyes, father had red. I frowned.

"Airi?"

She smiled, and nodded. Her hair was grown out, and back to its natural silver. She had gorgeous wings on her back, and was wearing a small white dress. She mouthed out something, but I couldn't make it out. She must of noticed my expression, because she said it again.

_I love you. And Kuzu. Please, tell them I'll be fine, that I'm escaping. _

I frowned. Escaping? Suddenly, someone's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Hidan, what are you looking at?"

I looked over to see Kisame looking at me confused. I looked to my side. Airi was gone.

Then it hit me, and I felt tears pouring from my eyes as I felt my heart break.

This is actually happening.

My sister…

My twin…baby sister…

Is dead.

_***Airi's POV***_

"_Will I ever be able to communicate with Kakuzu again?" I asked Jashin-sama, who shrugged._

"_Possibly. Probably not, though. I only let Hidan see you because he is one of my most loyal servants." He replied, and I nodded. _

_We stood in the room, on a different plane of course. We could see and hear them, but they couldn't us, unless Jashin allowed it. _

_Konan had been carried out of the room by Kisame and Itachi, by Pein's order. Right now she was sitting on her bed, sobbing. I could hear her from all the way in here._

_Kisame was in shock. His normal blue skin was paler, more like a very pale blue, and his eyes were wide. He couldn't comprehend that I was gone. It was depressing; I never thought he cared much, but apparently he did._

_Zetsu was shaking his head, mumbling things like I wasn't as bad as the others, which, coming from Black Zetsu, is quite a compliment, while White Zetsu was getting a bit emotional, but trying to keep himself in check._

_Itachi's eyes had been a little wide with partial shock for the first five minutes, before going off into his room to cry over a picture of his little brother. Depressing._

_Pein was slightly upset. He looked at me like…like a friend, you could say. I was also a great fighter, well on missions, also, he knew this would affect himself, as well as the others, on the long run. _

_Hidan, after my little appearance, had just been…broken. He was curled into himself in his chair, sobbing his heart out, screaming things like __**why, why her!? **__Or __**why not me instead!? **__It would have brought tears to my eyes, if I could cry.. _

_Tobi was tearing up under his mask. I finally saw his true identity, as well, but it's his secret to tell, not mine._

_Deidara was crying, would have sobbed, if Sasori wasn't there to comfort him. _

_Sasori was….neutral. He couldn't feel anyway, so…yea. _

_Kakuzu though….he was destroyed. He just stared at my body, finally out of tears to cry. His heart was completely shattered, burnt, stomped on, and incinerated. Not even ashes of it remained. Or, well technically, heartS, but whatever._

_It pained me to see this._

"_Hm, but didn't you want to die to get rid of the pain?" Jashin asked, and I glanced at him. _

"_Yes, I did. But it seems even in afterlife I cannot find that comfort." I replied monotonely, making him chuckle softly._

"_Pain will never go away, Airi. That is why you learn to cope. When things hurt you, you fix them, not run away."_

_I cocked my head to the side. "I do not remember. What did I used to do to 'cope'?"_

_I looked over, and he smiled a bit. "You went to Kakuzu. It would have been sweet, if he was a follower, maybe. But nonetheless, what's done is done. C'mon, you told Hidan what you needed to tell him, let us go."_

_I hesitated, and shook my head, making him frown. "You said it yourself. We do not run from our pain and troubles. I cannot run from this."_

_Jashin smirked. "Airi, dear, you've already ran. It's too late for you."_

_I shook my head again. "No, it isn't." I turned away from the scene, looking at Jashin. "Please, Jashin-sama, give me another chance. You said yourself I am a loyal servant, let me prove it to you once more." _

_He smirked a bit. "You will not return in this time. You could return in a year, maybe two." He shrugged. "Maybe fifty, when Kakuzu's already dead."_

"_I am willing to try it, Jashin-sama. I cannot run any farther than I already have, can I not?"_

_He shrugged, sighing. "Okay, if you say so. Goodbye, Airi. We may see eachother again one day."_

_I nodded, and a searing pain filled my entire body, and the last thing I saw was a blinding light._

Before awakening alone, naked, in the forest.

I groaned as I rubbed my head. Fucking headaches suck.

"Hello?" I call out, looking around for something to cover myself with, but finding nothing. _Thanks for removing my clothes, Jashin. _I think sarcastically, and just shake my head as I faintly hear chuckling in my mind. I groaned as I walked around, in the woods, naked, alone, without any weapons. Great. Fucking great. I didn't even have a single clue where I was, when suddenly I heard something that made my heart leap with excitement;

"But Sempaiii! Tobi is so tiiiiired!"

_Tobi? Tobi… _"TOBI!" I yell, running into the direction from where I heard him.

I heard cries of alarm as I burst out of a bush, tackling Tobi and Deidara. "OH MY JASHIN GUYS!" I yell, when suddenly a kunai is at my throat from behind me.

"Who the hell are you?" He growled, and I recognized it instantly.

"SASORI!" I yelled, smiling as I knocked the kunai away by snapping my shoulder out of place and hitting the blade with it. I pushed it back in, and tackled Sasori in a hug.

"Who is the girl? And why is she naked?" Tobi asked, and I rolled my eyes as I pulled away from Sasori.

"Guys, it's me, Airi."

Deathly silence filled the atmosphere, making me frown. "What's wrong?"

Deidara was the first of the three to speak up. "Airi…you've been dead for five years."

_You will not return in this time. You could return in a year, maybe two. Maybe fifty, when Kakuzu's already dead._

_"F-Five years?" I repeated, shock filling me. He nodded, grim. "W-Where's Kakuzu? A-and Hidan? I have to see them. Now!"_

_Deidara held up his hands in defense. "Alright, alright, c'mon! You might want to put this on though." He joked, tossing me his cloak, which I quickly put on._

_"Oh, right." I laughed, making him grin._

_A smile broke across my face as he ran ahead, Tobi following, giggling, and Sasori following as well, looking bored. I walked next to Sasori, who surprised me by his words;_

_"It's good to have you back. It's been hell without you."_

_I smiled. "Thanks, Sasori. It's good to be back."_

_He cocked his head to the side as he looked at me. "You look…__very __different." When he saw me frown, he sighed. "You don't look like you. At all. Black hair—"_

_"Wait, what!?" I almost shrieked, grabbing my hair, seeing the familiar silver color, and glared at the chuckling Sasori. "Bastard."_

_"Yep."_

We got to the base in about an hour, and when we walked in, Deidara screamed at the top of his lungs, "_**EVERYONE, GET OUT HERE, IT'S AN EMERGENCY**_!" I had to cover my ears, Tobi whimpered a bit, and Sasori just twitched, irritated.

We heard running feet and suddenly all the members were there, weapons out, ready to fight, but they froze when they saw me. Nobody talked.

Hidan was the first to speak. "…A-Airi?" Tears made his voice sound thick, and they ran down his face. I bit my lip and nodded, not knowing what he was going to do. Suddenly, I was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug as he buried his face into my shoulder. "Don't you _ever _die on me again, understand!?" He choked out, sobbing. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision as I nodded, hugging my sobbing twin back. I looked over to the others;

Itachi's eyes were wide as he tried to comprehend how I was back. Kisame's eyes were filling with tears as he stared in shock, but he tried to hide it by wiping at his eyes. Pein was normal, except for his eyes being slightly wide. Zetsu was smiling like a maniac. Kakuzu…he looked disbelieving, as if he expected this to all disappear in an instant. Konan had tears running down her face.

Konan joined Hidan, running forward as she cried into my other shoulder. "_You bitch! You can't just go die like that and not come back for five goddamn years!" _She sobbed. I held them both, trying to stop myself from crying. I looked over at Kakuzu.

"Kuzu?" I asked, confused at his lack of emotion. I gently pulled away from my brother and Konan, walking over to him, putting a hand on his cheek. His eyes filled with tears, and when he spoke, he sounded like he was about to break down.

"I'm afraid this is just another dream…that when I try to kiss you, you'll just fade away, and I'll wake up…" He whispered, a tear escaping his eye and running down his cheek.

I quickly wiped it away, leaning forward, gently pulling his mask down as I brushed my lips against his. "I promise…I'm real…"

The next thing I knew, his lips had smashed into mine. I kissed back, feeling tears escape from my eyes. He pulled away first, looking at my face for a moment, before enveloping me in a hug. He had tears running down his face. "Please….promise me you won't ever leave me again…."

"I promise…" I whispered to him.

_**End**_


End file.
